ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Cabinet approves Memorandum of Understanding between India and Singapore on setting up of a joint working group on FinTech
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding  signed between India and Singapore in June, 2018 on the constitution of a Joint Working Group  on FinTech.
Benefits:
The Joint Working Group on FinTech between India and Singapore has been constituted for cooperation in the area of FinTech between the two countries. Collaboration of India with Singapore will benefit both India and Singapore to excel in the fields of Development of Application Programming Interfaces , Regulatory Sandbox, Security in payment and digital cash flow, integration of RuPay-Network for Electronic Transfers , UPI-FAST payment link, AADHAR Stack and e-KYC in ASEAN region and cooperation on regulations, solutions for financial markets and insurance sector and sand box models.
Terms of References of the JWG:
- Exchange of best practices
to improve regulatory connect, with a view to exchange best practices:
i. Promote experience sharing on policies and regulations related to FinTech;
ii. Encourage the creation of standards related to the use of data in a non-discriminatory manner by FinTech firms and entities.
iii. Initiate capacity building of relevant official in regulatory institutions, including in a world of new threats around cyber-security, financial fraud etc.
II. Promote co-operation
to promote co-operation between the financial technology industry in India and Singapore:
- Promote co-operation between firms in the FinTech sector;
- Promote development of FinTech solutions for business/financial sectors;
- Encourage collaboration of entrepreneurship/ startup talent between Singapore and India in FinTech, consistent with the relevant policies of both countries.
III. Develop international standards
 Encourage the creation of an international version of Application Programming Interfaces  and standards that are inter-operable with the APIs created in public systems in India and Singapore to:
i. Enable cross-border authentication and Electronic Know-Your-Customer  of residents using digital identities;
ii. Enable payment linkages-cooperation between Unified Payment Interface  and Fast And Secure Transfer  digital fund transfer platforms;
iii. Enable cross-learning on RuPay Credit/Debit Cards through linkages between National Payments Corporation of India  and Network for Electronic Transfers  payment networks;
iv. Enable DPI and Quick response  code-based payment acceptance; and
v. Enable the use of digital signatures such as through e-Sign, across borders.
 Encourage co-operation between India and Singapore on:
i. Digital governance;
ii. Financial inclusion; and
iii. Partnership in the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network  agenda.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
WAPCOS organizes Cleanliness Drive to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, WAPCOS Limited, A Government of India Enterprise under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti this morning organized a cleanliness drive at Chhath Ghat, near ITO, New Delhi.
Cleaning of River was also carried out simultaneously at Shyam Ghat, Yamneshwar Ghat, Nigambodh Ghat and Yamuna Ghat, New Delhi.
Shri U.P. Singh, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India was present during the event.
WAPCOS is a leading technology driven consultancy and EPC organization with strong global presence in the fields of Water, Power and Infrastructure Sectors. WAPCOS has successfully completed/on-going consultancy assignments in countries covering Asia, Africa, Middle East, South America and Pacific Island and is operating in more than 47 Countries, at present.
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President's Secretariat
President of India Inaugurates 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela; Urges Everyone to Transform the Philosophy of ‘Buy Local for a Better Tomorrow’ Into a Movement
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Surajkund, Haryana today .
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that occasions such as Surajkund Mela provides ordinary craftsmen and artisans real recognition and value for their skills. It also provides them an excellent opportunity to display and sell their products directly to customers. The Surajkund Mela has saved India's various remarkable craft traditions from extinction. For many craftsmen, artisans and weavers, this fair is major source of their annual income.
The President said that we should be proud of the items made by craftsmen of our country. He reiterated mantra of ‘Buy local for a better tomorrow’. He urged everyone to transform the philosophy of ‘Buy local for a better tomorrow’ into a movement. He said that by using locally manufactured products, we would be able to help the small entrepreneurs in our area to a great extent.
Click Here to See Hindi Speech
AYUSH
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Ayurvedic Hospital in Majuli, Assam
6 new Ayush hospitals, 100 Ayush dispensaries and 200 Ayush Health & Wellness Centres in Assam soon: Sarbananda Sonowal
The Union Minister for Ayush, Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 50 bedded Ayurvedic Hospital at Sriram Chapori in Majuli today. The hospital is aimed at further strengthening the Ayush healthcare system in the state.
The new hospital is equipped with specialised OPD services for Shalya , Prastuti Tantra & Stree Roga or PTSR , Panchakarma as well as Kayachikitsa . Apart from it, a modern laboratory, Panchakarma & Ksharasutra Therapy set ups, a Yoga unit, Anorectal clinic, Infertility clinic, Geriatric & rejuvenative clinic, Rheumatology clinic, Lifestyle Disorders as well as Skin & Cosmetic clinic are also available at the newly opened hospital. In the OPD section, 50 patients will be treated at a time.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Majuli possesses tremendous potential to become a hub for Ayush healthcare in the region. With its rich flora and heritage, our beautiful Majuli has the unique ability to become a healthcare hub. This Ayurvedic hospital, while offering treatment to local people, can become a lynchpin to make Majuli become the Ayush hub of the region, aiding to the vision of ‘Swastha Bharat’ as envisaged by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji.”
The Union Minister also announced that 6 new Ayush hospitals are being planned to set up in Assam. Among them, four 50 bedded hospitals to come up in Kaliabor, Morigaon, Kokrajhar and Baksa, while one 30 bedded hospital will come up in Diphu and one 10 bedded hospital in Bajali. Apart from these, the Union Ayush Minister also confirmed operationalisation of 289 Ayush Health & Wellness Centres in the state, while 200 more AHWCs will be operational in Assam soon. Sonowal also announced that 100 Ayush dispensaries will be set up in all districts of Assam.
On this occasion, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Assam, Shri Keshab Mahanta; MP  for Jorhat, Shri Topon Kumar Gogoi; MP  for Lakhimpur, Shri Pradan Baruah; MLA , Bhuban Gam among other senior officials of Ministry of Ayush, Government of India and state government were present.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Implementation of Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler  for all Commercial Operations of All India Radio
In view to streamline and automate the commercial operations of Prasar Bharati, Shri Mayank Agarwal, CEO, PB and Shri D.P.S. Negi, Member , PB inaugurated a fully integrated Traffic & Billing application software “Broadcast Air-Time Scheduler ” for all Commercial Operations of All India Radio” on 7th November, 2022 at Prasar Bharati Secretariat.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Mayank Agarwal, CEO, Prasar Bharati said that “AIR adopts integrated system for better services. BATS can bring about transparency into the entire operations and make the entire commercial operations very efficient. It allows monitoring of booking, billing and payment receipts etc. at various stages and system can provide various reports which are very essential in taking many management decisions. App is also available on mobile. Software is menu driven enterprise which has been customized to the need of All India Radio making it more handy and useful.”
Member Finance Shri D.P.S. Negi also said that “the most important advantage of full implementation of BATS will be to make the Receivable Management more effective and transparent. This will ensure that revenue leakages are avoided and will ensure 100% revenue assurance for the services rendered. It can be said that it’s a great milestone in the history of All India Radio to roll out BATS.”
BATS has been provided by M/s. Media Nucleus and has the following important features:
- To manage the scheduling and billing of advertising orders across multiple stations via one central database.
- Contracts are handled seamlessly from Release Order entry to single or multi-invoice billing.
- Increases operational efficiency and reduces cost.
- Media Sales Traffic increases the efficiency of the organization by providing traffic team a flexible solution for planning, scheduling and billing of spots.
- Ensures accurate billing by effectively managing account hierarchy, different Package and Products, Pricing plans, Content Rights Management, Automated Ad Booking along with Discounts offered on bulk deals, Charges, and Billing cycle Invoicing.
- Payment processing and collections through integrated Payment Gateway of SBI.
IFSC Authority
Report of the Committee of Experts on Insurance
The International Financial Services Centres Authority , with an objective to develop the financial products and services International Financial Services Centre  has constituted an Insurance Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr. G.N. Bajpai, former Chairman LIC and SEBI, to identify key areas for the development of insurance and reinsurance business from IFSC.
The committee consisted of accomplished leaders with wide experience in developing insurance business and regulations, and have a strong global network:
- Mr. M.R. Kumar 
- Mrs. T. L. Alamelu 
- Mr. Atul Sahai 
- Mr. Devesh Srivastava 
- Mr. Shankar Garigiparthy 
- Ms. Ieva Segura Cobos 
- Mr. Sakate Khaitan 
- Mr. Manoj Kumar , Member -Secretary
The Committee after widespread consultations, incisive studies and in-depth discussions has made far reaching recommendation to develop IFSC as Global Insurance Hub in its report submitted to Chairperson, IFSCA. The significant recommendations of the Committee are as follows:
- IFSCA has developed eco-system for Aircraft Leasing and Financing which can be utilized to develop Aviation Insurance Hub and Trade Credit Insurance at IFSC. Also, similar platform may be implemented for shipping industry through facilitating of Protection and Indemnity clubs.
- The Captive insurance model is one of the cost efficient manner of managing own risk. Globally, leading financial centres have favourable regulatory regime for captive insurance model. Hence IFSCA may develop a new framework for enabling operations of Captives.
- IFSCA has enabled framework for Global In-house centres which may be utilized by insurers to develop Global In-House Centres to provide services ancillary to insurance.
- Investment framework may be redesigned to give more avenues for insurers to mobilize their funds to a basket of financial instruments and products offering them more returns and flexibility.
- Globally premium financing is prevalent which is very significant driver for some the niche areas of insurance business. The same may be introduced in IFSC.
- Developing alternate risk transfer solutions such as insurance linked securities, catastrophe bonds and parametric risk transfers available for the global market.
The Committee has also recommended the mapping of insurance needs of the Indian diaspora and meet such needs through promotion and development of the ‘hub and spoke’ model. Currently, the regulatory architecture and supervisory framework of IFSCA are under design and development. The Committee has further outlined a series of propositions to help build a modern and globally competitive framework.
The detailed report is available at www.ifsca.gov.in
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Workshop on Art of Leadership Communication organized by Karmayogi Bharat
Karmayogi Bharat, DoPT organized a workshop on ‘The Art of Leadership Communication’ for senior government officials from various Ministries/Departments on 9th October 2023. Catering to one of the key skills needed for senior civil servants – ‘Effective Communication’ - the workshop was conducted with the objective to complement the Communication courses on iGOT Karmayogi Platform.
The interactive workshop was conducted by noted academic, and Professor of Practice in Leadership Communication at Tufts University, Mr Mihir Mankad. The session covered themes such as Leadership Qualities for Building Behavioural Competencies, Art of Verbal Communication, Storytelling in Business and Life, and Communicating Data Impactfully.
Participants included senior officials from various Ministries, and Government Departments, such as Prime Minister’s Office, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Department of Posts, Ministry of Defence, Border Security Force, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Minority Affairs, DIPAM, Ministry of Electronics, and IT, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Youth Affairs, and Sports, and UIDAI.
iGOT Karmayogi , managed, governed, and operated by Karmayogi Bharat-DoPT, is a comprehensive online portal to guide government officials in their capacity building journey. The portal combines 6 functional hubs for online learning, competency management, career management, discussions, events and networking. More than 24 lakh learners from across the government spectrum are currently registered on the iGOT Platform having access to over 740 courses.
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Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
IREDA finances Blusmart Mobility Rs. 268 crores to purchase 3000 electric cars
In a bid to promote electric vehicles in Delhi-NCR region, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. , the largest lender of the Renewable Energy sector in India, sanctioned a loan of Rs. 267.67 crores to BluSmart Mobility for the purchase of 3,000 all-electric cars.
BluSmart Mobility will use the fresh capital to purchase 3,000 all-electric cars, leading to an expansion of its EV fleet. From the sanctioned loan of Rs. 267.67 crores, the first tranche of Rs. 35.70 has been disbursed by IREDA to the company.
Speaking on the collaboration, Shri Pradip Kumar Das, CMD, IREDA said, "We at IREDA believe that electric mobility has huge growth potential in India. BluSmart has been providing its services in the national capital region of India, and we support their team behind this good work. This is our first major investment in this space and towards making India a cleaner and greener country. IREDA is looking forward to financing more EV projects to speed-up the progress of moving transportation to clean sources in the country. This is part of the company's endeavour to help reduce emissions in the National Capital Region."
About IREDA:
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd , Mini Ratna  Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is India’s leading financial institution dedicated to clean energy expansion. Since its inception in 1987, IREDA has financed the largest share of renewable energy projects in India. IREDA has over the years sanctioned loans to projects in Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency sector aggregating to Rs. 1,20,522 crores , disbursed Rs. 77,946 crores  and supported more than 19,453 MW of RE capacity in the country till March 31st, 2022.
About BluSmart:
BluSmart  is working for India's path to zero-emission mobility, improve the quality of lives of the driver-partners and continue to provide reliable ride-hailing service to customers. BluSmart Mobility is having completed 1 million+ all-electric trips, covering over 35 million+ clean km with over 350,000+ app downloads across Delhi NCR.
Ministry of Defence
First ever drone exhibition cum display ‘Bharat Drone Shakti 2023’ inaugurated by Raksha Mantri at Hindan Air Force Station
First C-295 transport aircraft formally inducted into Indian Air Force
C-295 will bolster the medium lift tactical capability of IAF: Shri Rajnath Singh
Bharat Drone Shakti 2023, a first-of-its-kind drone exhibition cum display was inaugurated by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at Air Force Station, Hindan in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on September 25, 2023. It has been jointly organised by Indian Air Force  and Drone Federation of India . The two-day event, which is being held on September 25 & 26, 2023, features over 75 drone start-ups from across the country.
The drones featured during the event can be employed for a variety of military and civil applications. By showcasing their capabilities through a series of aerial & statics demonstrations, the IAF and DFI seek to bolster the Government’s initiative to make India a major drone hub by 2030.
The inauguration of Bharat Drone Shakti 2023 was followed by the formal induction of the first C-295 MW transport aircraft into the IAF. The ceremony consisted of a 'Sarv Dharm Puja' and a brief on the capabilities of the aircraft. This medium lift tactical aircraft, which is capable of taking off and landing from unprepared landing grounds, will replace the HS-748 Avro aircraft.
Through a post on X , the Raksha Mantri exuded confidence that the induction of C-295 will bolster medium lift tactical capability of the IAF. He termed the defence and aerospace sectors as the two important pillars for making India self-reliant in the coming years.
While the first 16 of the 56 contracted aircraft will be delivered to the IAF in a 'fly-away' condition, the remaining 40 would be manufactured in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited at their facility in Vadodara. The first IAF squadron to be equipped with the aircraft, 11 Squadron , is also based at Vadodara.
During the event, the Raksha Mantri & the dignitaries were also briefed on the latest in-house innovations of the IAF at an exhibition which featured projects such as a Hybrid Drone Detection System, Al Engine for fault diagnosis, a Fly-By-Wire Tester, Stabilized Power Supply Trolleys, QR Code based Tool Crib management system and also modern teaching aids.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road, Transport & Highways General  VK Singh , Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, senior officers of the three services, Defence Attaches & officials from friendly foreign countries as well as representatives of the Indian industry attended the event.
President's Secretariat
President of India to address the 159th Founder’s Day Celebrations of the Lawrence School Tomorrow
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will visit Tamil Nadu on May 23 and 24, 2017.
On May 23, 2017, the President will address the 159th Founder’s Day Celebrations of the Lawrence School at Ootacamund, The Nigiris. He will return to Delhi on May 24, 2017.
Election Commission
Bye Election to the Bihar Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly 
There is a casual vacancy in the Bihar Legislative Council to be filled up by the members of Legislative Assembly. The details of the vacancy are as follows:
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S.No.
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Name of Member
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Nature of election
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Date & Cause of vacancy
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Term upto
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1.
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Sh. Tanveer Akhtar
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By MLAs
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Death on 09.05.2021
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21.07.2022
2. The Commission has decided to hold a bye-election to the Bihar Legislative Council by the members of the Legislative Assembly to fill the above mentioned vacancy as per the following schedule:
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S.No.
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Events
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Dates
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-
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Issue of Notification
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15th September, 2021 
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-
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Last Date of making nominations
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22nd September, 2021 
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-
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Scrutiny of nominations
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23rd September, 2021 
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-
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Last date for withdrawal of candidatures
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27th September, 2021 
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-
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Date of Poll
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04th October, 2021 
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-
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Hours of Poll
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09:00am – 04:00pm
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-
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Counting of Votes
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04th October, 2021  at 05:00pm
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-
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Date before which election shall be completed
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06th October, 2021 
3. Broad Guidelines of Covid-19 as already issued by ECI as well as the recent guidelines issued by ECI as contained in para 13 of Press Note dated 04.09.2021 available at link https://eci.gov.in/files/file/13681-schedule-to-fill-casual-vacancy-and-adjourned-poll-in-the-assembly-constituencies-regarding/ to be followed, wherever applicable, during entire election process for all persons.
4. The Chief Secretary, Bihar is being directed to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the extant instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the election.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture encourage regional dialect and language through various literary programs under The Umbrella of Sahitya Akademi
The Ministry of Culture through its autonomous body, Sahitya Akademi holds literary programmes for promotion of the north eastern tribal languages such as Mizo, Ao, Garo, Chakma, Rabha, Karbi, Hmar, Lepcha, Khasi, Tangkhul, Missing, Tenydie, Kokborok, Jaintia, etc. The Akademi encourages regional dialects and languages through Bhasha Samman for outstanding contribution in the field of classical and medieval literature and in unrecognized languages.
Programmes such as Gramalok to reach out to the literary lovers belonging to non-urban places across the nation. Celebration of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August by organising an All India Tribal Writers’ Meet. The North East Centre for Oral Literature , established in Agartala to cater the regional languages which bring out related publications.
Translation of books from regional languages into English which would help translations into other languages for the dissemination of this unknown literature into other linguistic communities. An Oral and Tribal Literature Centre in Delhi established in December 2014 to cater to the Oral and Tribal Literature for other parts of the country and for preserving oral tradition. Program called "Loka: The Many Voices" consisting of lectures and demonstrations to protect and preserve the folk and tribal art and culture of the country. Annual Festival of Letters that includes All India Tribal Writers' Meet to promote tribal literature. Publication of invaluable works, both original and translated, and conducts book exhibitions and sales across the nation.
In addition, the Ministry of Education through the National Education Policy, 2020 focuses on promotion of all Indian languages including regional languages. The policy provides, wherever possible, for medium of instruction in local language up to at least class 5, and preferable up to class 8.
This reply was given by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region Shri G Kishan Reddy in Rajya Sabha today.